Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-22


| away down the current of the Tana, ended
| the incident of our attack on the Nasal
| camp. The spears and shields and other
arms we took up to the Mission, where
they filed an clubhouse One incident.
| however, | must not forget to mention.
AS we were returning from performing the
obsequies Of our Nasal friends, we passed
the hollow tree where A1phonse had secret
| ed himself in the morning. 1t happened
that the little man himself was with US,
assisting in our unpleasant task with q fa.
| better viii than he had shown when live
| Nasal were concerned. Indeed, for each
body that he handled he found an appro-
pirate sarcasm. Alphonse throwing dead
Nasal into the Tana was a very different
creature from Alphonse flying for dear life
| from the spear of a live Nasal. He was
! quite merry and gay, was this volatile child
of France, he clapped his hands and war
bled snatches Of French songs as the grim
| dead warrOrs went splash" into the run
| ming waters to carry q message of death
and defiance to their kindred a hundred
miles below. In short, thinking that he
wanted taking down & peg, [ suggested
| holding a court-martial on him for his con-
| duct in the morning.
| Accordingly, we brought him to the tree
where he had hidden, and proceeded to sit
| in judgment on him. Sir Henry explained
! to him in the very best French tha I'M
| heard-Of coWardice and enormity Of his
con2uct, more especially in letting the
| oiled rag out of his mouth, whereby he
nearly aroused the Nasal camp with tooth
| chattering, and brought about the failure
| OF our plans; ending up with a request for
an explanation.
| But if we expected to find Alphonse at a
| loss and put him to an open shame, we
were destined to be disappointed. He
bowed, and scraped, and smiled, and ac-
| knOwledged that his conduct mightat first
| blush appear strange, but really it was not,
| inasmuch as his teeth were chattering not
from fear-oh, dear, moi oh, certainly not!
he marveled how the ''meSsieurs'' could
| think Of such a thing-but from the chill
| air Of the morning. AS for the rag, if
monsieur could have but tasted it's evil
flavor, being compounded, indeed, Of
mixture of stale paraffin oil, grease, and
gunpoWder, monsieur himself would have
spat it out. But he did nothing of the
sort; he determined to keep it there till,
alas! his stomach ''revolted, +" and the rae
was elected in an access of involuntary
sickness.
'And what have you got to say about
getting into the hollow tree?'' asked Si1
Henry, keeping his countenance with diff
ficulty
''But, monsieur, the explanation is easy:
oh, most easy 1t was thus: I stood there
by the kraal wall, and the little gray mon
sieur hit me in the stomach so that my rife
exploded, and the battle began. Watched
whilst frO,,,
cruel blow; then, messieurs, felt the he
roic blood of my grandfather boil up in my
veins. The sight made me mad ground
my teeth! Fire flashed from my eyes Il
shouted En- dUd1otp and longed to slay.
Before my eyes there rose a vision of nv
heroic grandfather! In short, was mad
[ was a warrior indeedl But then in my
heart heard q small voice. 'AIphonse,
said the voice, RESTRAIN myself, Alphonse
Give not way to this evil passion! These
men, though black, are brothers! And
thou wouldst Stay them? Cruel Alphonsep |
The voice was right. [ knew it; 1 was |
about to perpetrate the most horrible cru |
elites; to wOundi to massacre! to tear limb |
from limb! And how restrain myself? |
looked round; [ saw the tree, [ perceived |
the hole. Entomb myself said the voice, |
and hold on tight! Thou wilt thus over
come the temptation by main forcen 1t |
was bitter, just when the blood of my he |
roic grandfather boiled most fiercely; but |
[ obeyed! [ dragged my unwilling feet
along; entombed myself! Through the |
hole watched the battle! shouted curses |
and defiance on the foe! I noted them fall |
with satisfaction! Why not? l had not |
robbed them of their lives. The gore was
not upon my head. The blood of my he |
rOic-'
ooh, get along with you, you little cur" |
broke out Sir Henry, with shout of laugh |
ter, and giving Alphonse a good kick which |
sent him flying off with q rueful face.
In the evening had an interview with |
Mr.. Mackenzie, who was suffering a good |
deal from his wounds, which Good, who
was a skillful though unqualified doctor,
was treating him for. He told me that /
this occurrence had taught him a lesson,
and that, if he recovered safely, he meant |
to hand over the Mission to a younger man |
who was already on his road to join him in !
his work, and return to England.
''You see, Quartermain,' he said, I made |
UP my mind to this, this very morning,
when we were creeping down upon those
benighted savages. If we live through |
this and rescue FIossie alive said to my
self, I will go home to England. I have
had enough of savages. Well, I did not
think that we should live through it at the
time; but, thanks be to God and you four,
we have lived through it, and I mean to
stick to my resolution, lest worse thing
befall us. Another such time would kill |
my poor wife. And besides, Quartermain,
between you and me, am well off; it is /
thirty thousand pounds amworth to-day, |
and every farthing of it, made by honest |
trade and savings, is in the bank at Zanzi- |
bar, for living here cost me next to nothing.
So though it will be hard to leave this
place, which [ have made to blossom like
a rose in the wilderness, and harder still
to leave the people have taught, [ shall
60"
81 congratulate you on your decision"
answered I. ''for two reasons The first is,
that you owe a duty to your wife and |
daughter; and more especially to the latter,
who should receive some education and |
mix with girls of her own race otherwise
she viii grow up wild, stunning her kind. |
The other is, that as sure as I am standing